Tradition
by LawliPop
Summary: Idiot, that's mistletoe!" // SuzakuxLelouch FLUFF


_Lawli: Happy Holidays, Code Geass fans! My present to all of you is some fluffy SuzaLulu! ^-^ Enjoy!_

_Note, story takes place when Lelouch and Nunnally are still living at the Kururugi Shrine. (The storage house IS referred to as the Annex, right?? ^^; I'm so unsure of myself lol)

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_**Tradition**_

He'd been acting strange all morning.

Lelouch, that is.

Not that Suzaku spent a lot of time watching him or anything. He just couldn't help but notice the way Lelouch had been acting so rushed, so busy, so unlike his usual composed self. It was only natural for a young boy to want to investigate this peculiar behavior, to see what was causing Lelouch to stress himself out to the point of exhaustion over.

And Suzaku hadn't expected this.

Decorations – small, uneven paper cut-outs of what looked like snowflakes and other wintry things – hung from the walls of the usually bleak, décor-less Annex. In the small sitting area that was barely big enough to fit a table for the two siblings to eat there was a small potted plant (had Lelouch dug it out of the ground himself? Suzaku could hardly picture the Britannian prince doing such a thing, but the dirt caked underneath Lelouch's fingernails suggested that he had), the thin branches of which were weighed down with store-bought colored lights.

Suzaku didn't understand the meaning of these things, and found it rather stupid that Lelouch was bothering to put them in the Annex at all since his younger sister (whom he claimed to be decorating for) couldn't even see them.

"It's Christmas Eve," Lelouch told him as he taped more paper snowflakes to the window. "Mother always used to decorate the house..." his voice trailed off, as it tended to do whenever he mentioned his deceased mother.

Suzaku didn't say anything on the subject, knowing that it was a topic he shouldn't go near – by some unspoken rule between them it was forbidden to talk about. And Suzaku was glad, because he didn't know what he could say to Lelouch about his dead mother (Suzaku had never known his own mother to begin with, she'd died giving birth to him, and so he couldn't really grasp the emotion that came with losing one), and even if he did Lelouch would never want to hear it anyways.

So Suzaku pretended as if Lelouch hadn't even mentioned his mother at all. It was easier that way, for both of them.

"You could just lie," Suzaku said with a smirk, recalling the day when Lelouch and his younger sister (poor Nunnally, handicapped and blinded by the trauma of witnessing her mother's assassination) first arrived at the Kururugi Shrine and Lelouch had described the Annex they were to live in as beautiful with white walls and flowers.

Lelouch shot him a dirty look but didn't say anything. Most likely he'd already thought of doing so. It certainly would make things easier for him; he wouldn't have to go out of his way to make the Annex look more festive, and Nunnally would be none the wiser. But Suzaku knew Lelouch would never lie to his little sister unless it was necessary. He had the means and ability to decorate the Annex, and so he would decorate it. For Nunnally.

"I don't see why it bothers you so much."

Suzaku shrugged. "It doesn't bother me. I just think it's a waste of time."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed and Suzaku knew the mistake in his words.

Nothing done for Nunnally was ever a waste of time. Not for Lelouch.

Lelouch started cutting a green piece of cardboard paper into the shape of a tree. "I'm not asking for your help," he finally said, quietly, setting the scissors aside once he was finished with them and beginning to look for a place to hang the cut-out tree.

He wore the same solemn expression as always, and Suzaku couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit guilty. Lelouch had the ability to make him feel that way sometimes, and Suzaku had yet to discover why; it irked him, though.

"I wouldn't help anyways," he snapped, knowing even as he said the words that they weren't true. Suzaku may not have been overly fond of Lelouch, but he didn't mind Nunnally. She was sweet, at least – much unlike her older sibling.

"Then go away."

There was a moment in which Suzaku considered doing so but, upon remembering that nothing waited for him back at the main house other than a father who would completely disregard his presence, he decided that, since there was nothing better to, he might as well just stay at the Annex – even if it meant putting up with Lelouch and his temper and his stupid resolve to decorate the place for a stupid Britannian holiday.

He watched through narrowed green eyes as Lelouch busied himself again with more paper cut-outs, this time of what looked like snowmen. Lelouch ignored him for a while, pasting together the three circles that comprised of the snowmen's bodies and coloring eyes and dotted smiles on their faces with an old black marker that he must have found in one of the storage boxes that were still piled up against the walls of the Annex.

"If you aren't going to leave, at least _do_ something." Lelouch sounded exasperated, as if he was an adult babysitting a stubborn child.

Suzaku sniffed indignantly, but nonetheless found himself going back on his words about not helping even if Lelouch asked him to and joining the other boy at the window, taping the snowmen there while Lelouch held them in place. As they stepped back to admire their handiwork, Suzaku noticed the tiny smile on Lelouch's normally somber face. He smiled as well.

"I think Nunnally will like it," he said, and Lelouch nodded in agreement.

"I'm still not finished, though."

Suzaku didn't know how many more decorations Lelouch would be able to fit in the cramped little storage house, but didn't want to say anything to spoil the pleasant mood. Besides... the Annex certainly had a more cheery air about it now, and that was something Suzaku couldn't really complain about, even if he didn't fully understand the purpose of the holiday.

"Don't just stand there!"

The sharp-spoken command brought Suzaku out of his thoughts. Lelouch had moved on to another box, which he was beginning to pull garland out of, and was now staring at Suzaku expectantly. Laughing nervously, the Japanese boy apologized and began to help – there was no backing out of it now.

He helped Lelouch wrap garland around the railing of small, narrow staircase that led to the second floor of the Annex. After that, Suzaku returned to the box, which was now significantly emptier with the bulky garland out of the way. In fact, the only thing left inside of it was what looked like a branch from a bush.

Frowning, Suzaku pulled it out of the box and held it high up in the air to better examine it. It was full, covered with leaves and several red berries. But he didn't know what kind of bush it might have come from; he'd never seen anything like it before.

"What's this?" he asked as Lelouch approached, sticking it out for the other boy to see. Lelouch had to know, after all, since he'd purchased it.

Deep purple eyes glanced upwards to take a look at what Suzaku was talking about. And then, to Suzaku's complete surprise, a blush spread across his cheeks. "P-put that down!" he exclaimed, stepping forward and reaching for the plant.

Suzaku's eyes widened as Lelouch lunged towards him, not expecting that sort of reaction, and instinctively leaned back, moving his arm up higher and to the side so that it sort-of protected his face. Lelouch moved to stand against him, his hands snatching at the small plant and the color of his cheeks darkening with every passing second that it remained suspended over their heads.

"Idiot, that's mistletoe!" Lelouch cried, as if that would explain everything, when he finally managed to wrap his fingers around the stem of the plant and tear it away from Suzaku's grasp.

Suzaku watched as Lelouch all but threw the mistletoe back into the box, as if it was diseased. The other boy's face was still flushed in embarrassment, and his amethyst eyes refused to meet Suzaku's, which Suzaku found strange because normally Lelouch was too proud to ever avoid eye contact.

Suzaku wondered, "what's it for?" as he approached the box again to stare at the mistletoe – refraining from touching it this time.

If possible, Lelouch's face got even redder. Suzaku wanted to snigger, but he knew better than to do so; if he laughed, Lelouch would refuse to answer him, and Suzaku was genuinely curious about mistletoe now that it had procured such a strange reaction from the Britannian.

"I-it's..."

Suzaku couldn't believe Lelouch was actually stuttering. What could possibly be so mortifying about a silly little plant? He raised an eyebrow, waiting for Lelouch to continue though it now seemed as though Lelouch was afraid to.

"What's it for?" he asked again, a little more impatiently this time. He reached into the box, intent on pulling the mistletoe out and holding it above Lelouch's head again as a threat if the boy didn't talk.

Seeing what he was about to do, Lelouch immediately yelled: "kissing!"

The word caused Suzaku to halt, his grip on the mistletoe falling lax. The plant landed back in the box with a dull _thud_. "K-kissing?" he repeated, feeling his cheeks grow warm at the uncomfortable thought.

Lelouch nodded gravely, by this point red all the way to the tips of his pale ears. "I-it's a rule... if two people stand under the mistletoe, they... they have to _kiss_," he explained slowly, his eyes once again locking on the floor.

Suzaku suddenly understood the direness of the situation. He'd held the mistletoe above both of their heads before, when Lelouch had been trying to get it back from him... That meant...

It was Suzaku's turn not to be able to directly face Lelouch.

The two boys stood in awkward silence, each pointedly looking away from the other, their hearts racing and palms sweating as they contemplated which course of action to take next.

Suzaku's emerald eyes landed on the box where the deviant stalk resided, swallowing the lump in his throat.

_Stupid Britannians and their stupid rules..._

Gingerly, Suzaku shuffled closer to Lelouch. The black-haired boy still didn't look at him, even when Suzaku stopped directly before him. He could feel the heat radiating off of the other's body, and knew that his own face had to be just as hot.

Suzaku had never stared at Lelouch's lips before, but now that he was (staring very, _very_ intently at them) he noticed that they were just a shade darker than his skin, and rather full for a boy's. And they looked very... soft.

The idea appalled him, for the last thing Suzaku ever wanted in his mind were thoughts about how inviting Lelouch's lips seemed. That was just... _weird_, _gross_, and many other similar words.

They were inches apart now, just a little more and...

Suzaku steeled himself, clamping his eyes shut and leaning in the rest of the way.

Their mouths fit together easily. Lelouch's lips were just as soft as they appeared. Suzaku suddenly felt self-conscious about the chapped state of his own lips.

It was the most awkward moment of his life – probably of both of their lives – as they stood there, lip-locked, both with similar expressions of discomfort on their faces. Suzaku's brows knitted together as he wondered how long these mistletoe kisses were supposed to last.

The soft _smack_ of their parting lips resonated in the air as they pulled away from each other.

When Suzaku unclosed his eyes, he found Lelouch staring at him with a hand held up to his mouth, just barely touching it. Suzaku couldn't read the look in his eyes, though he didn't give up searching them for some form of an answer.

They stared at each other for short amount of time.

And then Lelouch suddenly tore his gaze away and bolted out the door as fast as his legs could carry him.

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_Lawli: Please give the gift of a review this holiday season? =) _


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